Metabolic Cerebral Imaging in Incipient Dementia (MCI-ID)

Metabolic Cerebral Imaging in Incipient Dementia (MCI-ID)

Overall Status:

Recruiting

Brief Description:

This prospective, randomized study will examine whether positron emission tomography (PET) scanning can help distinguish patients with early Alzheimer's changes in their brains from those having other causes of cognitive impairment more accurately than current clinical practices.

Patient Qualifications:

Min Age

Max Age

Gender

Healthy Volunteers

65 Years

N/A

Both

No

Inclusion Criteria:

Cognitive deficit and/or personality change, observable by physician and/or close contact; in the absence of this, clear history of decline that the participant's physician deems reliable

If history or neurologic exam reveals suspicion of stroke, tumor, bleeding, ictal activity, or hydrocephalus, then CT/MRI and appropriate neurological or neurosurgical consultation must be obtained.

This study is designed to measure how knowledge of cerebral metabolic information influences the diagnosis and management of patients being evaluated for symptoms of early cognitive decline. It will also evaluate the impact on long-term clinical outcomes, particularly of subjects having metabolic patterns consistent with Alzheimer's disease-like changes in their brains.

In this prospective investigation, subjects will undergo baseline neuropsychological testing and neuroimaging with MRI and FDG PET. PET scan reports will be sealed and randomized, released to patients' managing physicians either at the time of interpretation or 2 years after scanning. Managing physicians' working diagnoses and treatment decisions will be recorded. Cognitive abilities, functional status, utilization of healthcare resources, and other clinical and social contact parameters will be assessed every 6 months.

Our major hypotheses are that among patients whose PET results are immediately conveyed to their referring physicians, diagnoses and management plans will be positively affected, leading to more effective utilization of healthcare resources and maintenance of cognitive and functional abilities at a higher level.